Julie Schumacher Publishes Final Book in Campus Trilogy

Congratulations to Regents Professor Julie Schumacher, who in August published the novel The English Experience (Doubleday). Picked as "Book of the Week" by People, the novel is the final entry in the comic trilogy that includes the bestselling Dear Committee Members (2015) and The Shakespeare Requirement (2018). Schumacher was interviewed by MPR about the book.

Schumacher won the Thurber Prize for American Humor for Dear Committee Members, the first woman so honored. The new book takes the protagonist of the series, Payne University English Professor Jason Fitger, to England as the reluctant chaperone of 11 undergraduates. "Julie Schumacher’s novel completes her trilogy of biting send-ups of academia, starring a hapless English professor," noted the Washington Post. "The perfect back-to-school novel for cynics."

"Schumacher’s third novel…features her melodic sentences and trademark witticisms," added Minnesota Monthly. "A witty academic farce [that] captures the wry humor of study abroad adventures.”

Schumacher's debut novel, The Body Is Water, was an ALA Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Schumacher’s other books include five novels for younger readers: The Book of 100 Truths won the 2007 Minnesota Book Award in Young Adult Literature.